Benzine
-
Posts
3,220 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Posts posted by Benzine
-
-
3 hours ago, liambesaw said:
But... But... My carefully honed tap centering skills and multitude of trimming Chucks would have their feelings hurt... Don't hurt Chuck.
No worries, not all forms can be used with the Giffin Grip, so tap centering is still necessary. And @Pres uses chucks *with* his Giffin Grip, for some of his wares.
-
1 hour ago, Hulk said:
Tools, that a good'n, e.g. banding wheel - which was just thinkin' (uh-oh) yesterday has moved from someday to need it now* - which most all can be done on the wheelhead, but anywhere one wishes to move the banding wheel to, e.g. at eye level.
I'd like to try a Giffin (or Bailey's version? discuss?); that said, my nerves/damage don't do tap centering, however, line up visual, then turn/scribe, move, repeat is gettin' faster for me, typically one or two moves does it.
*now that I'm glazing/waxing dozens of pots at a go instead of a few at a time...
$130-40 might seem like a lot for a Giffin Grip, but it's well worth it. They will essentially last forever, and definitely speed up the process, especially with the health concerns you mentioned. Definitely a justified "splurge" purchased.
-
18 hours ago, liambesaw said:
I recently bought a new wheel, going from a 1960s shimpo rk-2 to a new tank/Skutt prodigy, which is their entry level wheel. The difference in throwing between the two is like night and day. Previously I was quite happy with my rk-2 since it was the only wheel I had used in school and once I bought my own, but its got me wondering now... What else am I missing out on? Is there some piece of equipment or tool that made such a huge difference to the quality of work, and quality of time, that you wished you had found out earlier?
For teaching, I wish I would have known about the Giffin Grip earlier. It's invaluable, in my classroom. I want the students to have experience trimming, but we don't have time, for them to get good at tap centering.
I had never heard of the Giffin Grip, until my second teaching job, where they had one. I said, "What is that, and why am I just finding out about it?!"
When I took the job, at my current District, I bought one, within the first year.
Also, Xiem makes a bevel cutter, which is amazing for the slab boxes, my students make. Prior to that, students either eyeballed the 45, or I had wood templates, they set on the slab, and then ran their knife along to cut the angle. The Xiem tool is WAAAAAAY easier and more intuitive.
-
16 hours ago, liambesaw said:
Yep the rims are thin, my wife likes the entire bowl as thin as possible, and since she's my only customer right now, she gets what she wants!
That's an interesting equation. "The customer is always right" multiplied by "Keep the Mrs. happy". I believe the answer is, "Do what that person says!"
Congratulations on the new wheel! I've never used that brand, but I love the large splash pan they put on them.
-
4 hours ago, glazenerd said:
Benz: I have the opposite problem. I see some of the beautiful forms others make and wish I had the skill level to achieve it...but alas I do not. I long ago accepted the artistic gene skipped over me.
Tom
I would disagree. I've seen some of your work, and there is definitely artistry involved. Your "sketches" just look a little different... Way more Math...
-
2 hours ago, liambesaw said:
We don't have a dishwasher!
You poor soul! My Wife and I spent many of our years together, both dating, and marriage, without a dishwasher. We finally got one a few years ago, and things are soooo much better, especially with tiny people running around the house!
Great bowls by the way. Those appear to be glazed versions, of those I commented on earlier. The rims look thin, from certain angles, but it could just be how the photos were taken.
-
-
@liambesaw Nice bowls! What did you use to "square" off the sides?
-
I'm always sketching new forms, I can't say I always try to create them.
-
13 hours ago, Bill Kielb said:
Pretty good with that left hand, for a bit there I thought you were going to throw left handed but rotating counter clockwise! I am ok with mine and stumped one of our RA’s recently when he switched my wheel direction while I was away and then went cross eyed when I came back and just finished shaping without swapping the direction back. He just walked away shaking his head.
nice video
My throwing is a combination of left and right. I am left handed, but throw mostly right. Since I learned in college, with the wheel going either direction, I picked up bits and pieces of both. I only throw with the wheel going counterclockwise now, and tell my students that throwing with the wheel going clockwise, messes me up to no end. We only have two wheels that can go clockwise; the kick wheel and our Shimpo RK-2. Sometimes, when they ask for help, I won't notice the direction, and wonder why I'm off my game for a few moments. Maybe some day I'll better learn to throw both directions... I should probably focus more on improving with one direction first!
Also, why did he switch your wheel direction to begin with? Just to mess with you?
-
6 minutes ago, liambesaw said:
Just a vase, the handles are just for looks, look how wide they are, that would be uncomfortable to hold by them. I'm hoping that either this one or the similar one I threw last night will make it through the process of firing and whatnot so that I can give one to my neighbor that is moving away as a housewarming gift.
I wondered, if it was just decorative, but wasn't sure if there was some purpose specific ware, that I had never seen.
-
What is the function of that vessel, with the handles positioned that way, Liam?
-
I like the "Print" dishes. I had some mugs like that, with some cat paw prints in them, only I didn't put said prints there... My workshop, is also, where the cat likes to hang out, and she thought she had to check out the new "things" that were sitting on the workbench.
-
Currently, too much "crap" is on my workbench.
I need to start getting things cleaned up, and organized, so I can start on Graduation mugs, for my Seniors.
I was going to get started on all this weeks ago, but this second half of the Winter has been brutal, so I've spent waaaaay too much time moving snow!
-
23 hours ago, Pres said:
Over the years, I have found that I often have to have a "Gestation state", a period of time where I don't do something, but think about it. Then when I return to the activity or problem, I have solved it without even really knowing it. This has happened to me often when dealing with throwing over the years. . . throwing off the hump and having "S" cracks, throwing large and not getting enough out of the base, Wonky rims, that were weak and poorly finished, trimming through too many large plates, cracks in large plates, cracks in large bowls, and the list could last for much longer. Point is, problems do not just disappear when you push more time into it, often you have to figure out why. Research helps, thinking about what you research helps, also thinking about what you know about clay and how it is structurally made up and how to use that instead of fight it. All in a lifetime of working with any material, especially one so simply complex.
best,
Pres
Dang Educators, always bringing "Thinking" into things!
-
17 hours ago, Pres said:
My hammer was often the cutting wire, as I would often cut the piece in half just to see. I still do it, and find it is a great tool for teaching. However, there have been times that pots went through bisque before I realized I didn't like it. . . . . Floor drops are so satisfying when all of those shards are scattered, and nothing left to do but sweep it up. The sound of a pot breaking on a concrete floor is enough to get everyone's attention either in fear of an accident or a crazy teacher getting release on one of his pots. They never worried about me wrecking theirs.
best,
Pres
I did that, in my very first class, my very first day teaching, to illustrate the difference between ceramic's strength, and fragility. I took a project, left from a previous year(s) and casually dropped it. It got the student's attention!
I've only broken one student project (Post firing), and it was a year or two, after I had grade it. They brought it back for an Art Show, they chipped it, and as I was going to fix the chip, it rolled off the edge of the table, and shattered. It was an oblong shape, so I have zero idea, on how it was able to roll...
16 hours ago, liambesaw said:"Don't mind me, just practicing my juggling with all of your final projects over here!"
Funny you should say that. I used to put clever things, in the School Announcements, reminding students, from the previous Semester to come pick up their projects. One of such things was, that I would "Donate them to the 'Uncoordinated Jugglers Association'".
-
I happened to hear about Warren, from a channel I follow on Youtube.
I've watched multiple videos, documenting his process. I am *still* in awe of how he was able to keep going with pottery, even in his later years. I also chuckle at his insistence, that he do everything himself, because he couldn't find anyone to do it, just how he wanted it.
His influence will continue to be felt.
-
On 12/8/2018 at 9:40 AM, Denice said:
It sounds like the time I was starting to pack a dozen gourd shape vases with long thin necks to take to a gallery. I had just started wrapping one when a big gust of wind and pressure pushed through my studio. It sent my vases crashing into each other and on to the concrete floor. I wasn't aware that my husband was replacing the seals on the back door, he gave the door one big slam to see how the seals were working. I only had one vase that remained intact. I decide that this particular shape of vase wasn't good for gallery sales. Denice
Seems like the seals were working just fine!
-
On 12/7/2018 at 3:43 PM, LeeU said:
Well, if you must know, I was filling a humidifier container from my utility sink, forgot to close the top off, tripped over my own feet, and--to keep myself from tipping over--quickly set the thing down on the clear edge of the glazing table so I could free my hand to catch my balance, where the unit wobbled over and crashed into the greenware, and then spilled water just to add insult to injury. That is the sad story. Oh well, no handmade Christmas candy dish for Aunt Ruthie.
Sorry to hear that. Doesn't it always seem, that a Rube Goldberg series of events, leads to such things? For me, I know it's the case, because I don't clear the clutter as much as I should. So if one thing gets hit, or shoved, several other things are going with it.
-
On 12/5/2018 at 7:36 PM, LeeU said:
Glazing for this weekend firing. Opps.
What exactly happened there?
-
Love the variety @liambesaw
-
On 11/12/2018 at 11:53 AM, liambesaw said:
Did a glaze firing over the weekend. Neighbor stopped by just as cone 5 was on the bend so I turned down the gas to chat with him. Came back to the cone pack flat and the pyrometer reading cone 9. Ugh. All of the bowls I had in there were bloated super horribly, and half of the mugs as well. There are some keepers though so it's not a total loss.
DOH!
-
22 hours ago, Pres said:
That is why kiln loading was done either with student help during a class period so that they could see the amount of work that went into it, or after school when it would take a couple of hours to get everything in.
best,
Pres
I'll have, what we call, "Service Learners" help me with loading and unloading. They are students, who get a grade, for helping teachers. I only accept students, who I've had in class, and who I trust to do a wide variety of tasks, load/ unload the kiln, make test tiles, cut photo paper and mix darkroom chemicals. Oh, and and one of my, and probably their least favorite, redo the wash on the kiln shelves!
-
17 hours ago, Pres said:
Min asked recently in the QotW pool: Kiln stuffers, what does everybody make to fill those little empty spaces in the kiln?
Hmm, Min I should have open spaces in my kiln? Naw, just joshing! For over 35 years of loading my HS classroom kiln I had to use every spot of space in the kiln whether loading bisque or glaze. Most of the time we had a pile of sculptural handbuilt projects, and one would set on the shelf, one would be on a brick right next to the first with the overlaps saving space. Thrown bowls were put in right side up, upside down, with things underneath or inside. Mugs were crammed in wherever, pinch pots the same. Some bisques used no shelving at all, just everything carefully stacked in to the walls on top of each other. . . very carefully. Same for glaze loads, I would sometimes have shelves 12" apart with 1/4 shelves and broken shelves in between creating overlapping layers. Yeah, I really didn't have to fill space, but even I had to fire test tiles, and they went in along with the rest. . . filling spaces.
best,
Pres
Art teachers are really good at three-dimensional Tetris!
The worst however, is when you get so far in loading, and find something that either; A. Would fit better on a different spot, or B. You forgot about all together, because you had it sitting aside (Sometimes sitting aside, so you didn't forget about it...)
I have had to unload, just to reload before. A lot of heavy sighing is involved...
QothW: Is there some piece of equipment or tool that made such a huge difference to the quality of work, and quality of time, that you wished you had found out earlier?
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted
It does happen. Mark C. found one, halfway across the country, not far from me.
I've actually seen a Walker or two come up for sale. Jump on those!